Never Alone
by firegirl131
Summary: REVISED VERSION. After living with her abusive father for most of her life, Maria runs away and is taken by Talpa. She finds out that she has a special ability and Talpa wants to use it for his own ambitions so he sends Maria to find the secret of the Ronin Warriors. Will she do it or will her love for one of the Ronins stop her?
1. Prologue

**Yes, I'm re-writing this story. I'm planning on combining the three Ronin Warriors stories I did into one big story. So this story will be changed as well as the next two stories.**

* * *

Prologue

In the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan, a young couple had just gotten married. They were then blessed with a baby girl nine months later. The girl had black hair like her mother, Sakura, and brown eyes like her father, Tora. While Tora was talking to the nurse, a doctor came up to Sakura and told her that something happened during the labor. Certain organs in her body were damaged and there was nothing they could do to save her. Sakura nodded, knowing she's going to die sooner or later.

Years passed and the couple had a great time with their baby girl, Maria. As time grew on, Tora started to get upset that Sakura was paying more attention to Maria than to him.

One day, when Maria was ten, Sakura collapsed to the ground. Tora and Maria brought Sakura to the hospital. The doctors tried everything they could but they couldn't save Sakura. Sakura passed away that night. When the doctors told Tora why she died, Tora was so mad.

When Tora and Maria got home, Tora turned on Maria and kicked her to the ground. "You stupid brat!" Tora yelled, kicking Maria in the gut. "She died because of you! If you hadn't been born, she would still be alive!" Tora continued to beat Maria for ten minutes then left her in the living room. Maria got up from the floor and ran to the phone, tears in her eyes. She dialed the police and waited.

"Please help me!" cried Maria. "My father tried to kill me!" Maria hung up and waited for the police.

The police arrived minutes later and knocked on the door. Tora answered it and stared at the police.

"Hello, Tora," said one of the officers.

"Can I help you?"

"We got a call saying that you were beating up your daughter."

"I'm sorry, but my daughter saw one of the cases I was working on. I came in and told her not to be looking at it. She must have gotten a little over-dramatic," lied Tora, his legs shaking and hoping that the police wouldn't see through his lie.

"I see. Good day, Tora." The police then left.

Tora closed the door and turned to Maria, fury in his eyes.

Maria then realized that no one would be able to help her. Tears ran down her face as her father walked towards her. _Mommy, why did you leave me?_ Maria thought before Tora knocked her out.


	2. Chapter 1

**I don't own Ronin Warriors**

* * *

Chapter 1

Years passed and Maria was now a sixteen year old girl. Her father was still abusive and took her out of school to be "home-schooled." Even though Tora never taught Maria anything, Maria would find books and teach herself. Maria's hair had grown to the middle of her back and she had to cut her own hair because her father wouldn't take Maria to a hair cutter. Maria had nothing to do when Tora was around so Maria would draw or write her thoughts down. She never told Tora in fear of getting the papers taken away from her.

* * *

One day, Maria was sitting in the living room, drawing in her notebook. It was almost ten o'clock and Tora wasn't home yet. Maria didn't know where he was at but she wasn't too worried about him. If it meant no beatings for the night, then she was happy.

Suddenly, the door slammed opened and Tora stumbled in. He clumsily walked over to Maria, draping his arm around her shoulders. Maria crinkled her nose in disgust as she smelled the alcohol resonating off of Tora. "Helloooooo thhhere, m…my ddddear," slurred Tora.

"Sir, you're drunk," Maria said. What happened next totally disgusted Maria. Tora started placing kisses on her neck as his hand traveled up her shirt. "S…Stop." Maria squirmed, trying to get away.

"Cooommme ooonnn. Hhhave some f…fun." Tora's other hand grabbed her butt and Maria's anger shot up.

"I said stop!" Maria raised her hand and slapped him across the face. Tora's mood instantly changed as he glared down at Maria. He pushed Maria to the ground and started kicking her in the gut. After a while, Tora stopped and then got on top of her, pinning her arms to the ground. Maria stared up at Tora with fear as he gave her a sickening smile. He held both her arms with one hand while the other pushed up her shirt. Tora then leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. Maria squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself not to cry in front of Tora. When Tora's hand grabbed her breast, something sparked inside Maria as she got her hands out of Tora's grasp and shot them out. Tora was then sent flying across the room, hitting the wall hard. He slumped to the ground, glaring at Maria.

Maria raised her hand and Tora suddenly stilled, he couldn't move his body at all. Maria lifted her hand a little bit, making Tora lift up from the ground. "You won't control my life anymore!" Maria screamed as she pushed her hand forward, hard, sending Tora flying into the wall. Maria stared at Tora, breathing heavily. When Tora didn't get up, Maria widen her eyes as she realized that she had killed someone. Maria turned and ran out of the house, wanting to get as far away from that place as possible.

Maria wasn't watching where she was going for the next thing she knew, she ran into an armored soldier. The soldier turned around, staring at her. Maria trembled under the soldier's intense gaze as it took a step closer to her. "Leave me alone!" Maria screamed, shooting out her hand, making the soldier fly backwards. Just as Maria was about to run away, she felt a sharp pain stab her in the neck and then she passed out.

* * *

When Maria woke up, she found herself in a cell. The only thing in there was a mattress with no blankets or pillows. Maria looked around the room and didn't see anything to do; there was no TV or computer. An opening of a door snapped Maria's attention. Maria looked up and saw a man standing in the doorway. The man had shoulder length white hair and black eyes, with an eye patch over his left eye; he was wearing dark color armor of sorts. "Master Talpa wants to see you," said the man.

Maria nodded. Whoever this Talpa guy was, was in charge of the place here. Maria got up and followed the man down a hall. As they walked, Maria looked around the place. The halls were a blood red color and blue lights were on the walls. The man didn't look like he was the conversation kind of guy so Maria kept quiet. They then reached two sets of doors and the man opened the doors. The man stood aside and Maria entered the room.

The room was very dark and only four candles lit the room. There were three men standing by a wall, staring at Maria. One man had short green hair and black eyes, wearing a dark green armor while another man had short blue hair and blue eyes with a scar over his left eye, wearing a dark brown armor. The last man had long red hair and brown eyes, also wearing a black armor.

"Dais, is this the girl?" a voice asked.

"Yes, Master Talpa," said the white haired man.

Maria looked at the man. _So his name is Dais._ Maria looked up and her eyes widen at the sight in front of her. There was a holographic image of an armored head. It was a bright pink, almost white color and had two spiked horns on top of his head. There was white hair framing the side of its face and black, soulless eyes stared at Maria. Suddenly, the eyes glowed red which made Maria look away, shaking slightly.

"What is your name, girl?" the armored head asked.

"I'm…I'm Maria, sir," stuttered Maria.

"Look at her shake," whispered one of the men. "Such a weak human." Maria flinched at that statement.

"I want you to refer to me as Master Talpa," said the armored head.

"Yes, Master Talpa," said Maria.

"Good. Now, I believe that you can be of some use to us."

"What?" Maria squeaked out.

"Starting tomorrow, you will work under me. I will tell you what to do and you will do as I say, understood?"

"Yes, Master Talpa."

"For now, you will stay in your cell, but if you prove you worth to me, I might put you somewhere more…comfortable. But, if you ever disobey me…" When Talpa didn't finish, Maria stared at Talpa. "What will happen if I disobey?"

"We'll let you figure it out."

Maria was shocked by that statement that she was already afraid to disobey him.

"You will also learn how to fight and defend yourself. Understand?" Talpa asked.

"Yes, Master Talpa."

"Good. Now, before I send you back to your cell, I will allow you to have one thing in your cell."

Maria bit her lip; she didn't know what she wanted. A thought came to Maria's mind and she stared at Talpa.

"If it's ok, Master Talpa, I would like to have a notebook and something to write with," said Maria. "That is all I ask."

Talpa stared at her and Maria was afraid that she asked for too much.

"I will allow this, but one of my Warlords will check the notebook to make sure you aren't plotting anything," said Talpa.

Maria nodded, agreeing with Talpa's terms.

"Anubis, take Maria back to her cell."

The red haired man nodded and walked towards Maria. He put his hand on her back and ushered Maria out of the room. As they were walking back to Maria's cell, Anubis looked at Maria. "It's not so bad here," said Anubis. "Once you get used to it."

Maria looked at him, was he trying to comfort her? "Thank you," Maria whispered.

"I'm Anubis, by the way."

"Maria."

"I already knew that," Anubis said, smiling at her.

Maria smiled back; she already felt better just by talking to Anubis.

"I was surprised you just asked for paper and something to write with," said Anubis. "I thought you would ask for something girly."

Maria chuckled. "I don't really wear make-up or anything like that. When I draw, I forget about the outside world and it makes me happy."

"What do you draw about?"

Maria shrugged. "Anything really; animals, flowers, and sometimes nature. Whatever inspires me."

Anubis nodded.

The two got to the cell and Anubis opened the door. Maria walked into her cell and saw a red notebook with a pencil on top of her mattress. "Just so you know, either me or one of the other Warlords will come to get you tomorrow morning to have some food," said Anubis.

"Why are you and the others called Warlords?" Maria asked.

Anubis just stared at her. "You'll find out later. Good night."

"Night."

Anubis closed the door and walked away. Maria got on the mattress, opened her notebook, picked up her pencil, and started drawing. _Maybe it won't be so bad here,_ Maria thought, as she drew a picture of herself standing in a field of flowers.


	3. Chapter 2

**I don't own Ronin Warriors**

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Chapter 2

Two years have passed since Maria has worked for Talpa. Maria's hair had grown a few inches and she still cut her own hair, just to get the dead ends off. Maria also learned how to fight and defend herself. She never disobeyed Talpa and she now lives in a room with all of the necessities; even a connected bathroom. Maria still draws and she'll even put her drawings on the walls to decorate her room.

As time passed, Maria had figured out that Anubis and the others were fighting a group of men called the Ronin Warriors. The reason Talpa gave as to why was because he wanted to make the world a better place and the Ronins wouldn't allow it. Maria hardly believed that was the reason but she didn't say anything. She had become good friends with Anubis but he was only nice to her when they were alone. Maria understood that Anubis was the leader of the others and he didn't want to show his friendliness to a servant girl; it would make him seem weak. She had gotten to know the others as well. The white-haired man, Dais, just seemed to ignore her while the green-haired man, Sekhmet, openly disliked Maria and would always try to dampen her mood. The blue-haired man, Cale, seemed to take a liking to Maria and she tried to stay as far away from him as possible. She would occasionally see soldiers walk around the place and realized that Talpa was preparing an army. Talpa was in control of the soldiers, in a castle called the Dynasty, and Anubis and the others were called the Warlords.

* * *

One day, when Maria was drawing a picture of a pack of wolves, Dais walked into the room.

"You know there's a thing called knocking," said Maria.

"And I should care why?" Dais asked.

"What if I was changing and you just barged right in?"

Dais didn't say anything. "Master Talpa wants to see you."

Maria smiled, knowing she had won this argument. She got up from her chair and walked out of the room, Dais following her. They walked into the training room; Talpa, Anubis, Sekhmet, and Cale waiting for them.

"Hello, Maria," greeted Talpa.

"Master Talpa," Maria said, nodding her head in his direction.

"I thought I would check up on her fighting. Today, you will fight against Sekhmet."

 _Great, just great,_ Maria thought. _Pair me up with the guy who openly hates me._

Sekhmet walked up and stood in front of Maria. "Ready, girl?"

Maria's eyes flared with anger. "Don't call me that!" Maria charged at Sekhmet, raising a fist toward him. Sekhmet caught her fist and then twisted her arm behind her back. Maria cried out in pain and struggled to get away from him. She head-butted Sekhmet and Sekhmet released Maria, clutching his nose. Maria turned around and punched Sekhmet in the face. Sekhmet turned to her and charged at her but Maria dodged his punch and swiped her legs and knocked Sekhmet down. Maria was about to finish the fight when Sekhmet punched her off of him. Sekhmet stood over her and raised his fist.

"Stop!" Maria yelled, holding out her hand. Sekhmet did stop, almost like he wasn't in control of his body. "Get back!" Maria pushed her hand and the action made Sekhmet fly into a wall. Maria looked at the others and saw them staring at her with their eyes wide. Talpa stared at Maria with interest, like he knew that was going to happen. Maria looked at her hands and stared at them. The last time she did that was when she attacked Tora and she wasn't able to do it since. _What is going on?_

"It seems that you possess the ability of telekinesis," said Talpa.

"What?" Maria asked; she couldn't believe what you heard.

"Telekinesis is when you can move things with your mind," explained Anubis.

"Is that why you wanted me to work for you?" Maria asked. "So you could use me for your twisted ways?"

Cale slapped Maria across the face. "Never say that about Master Talpa!"

Maria glared at him and held out her hand. Cale froze in place and was lifted up into the air. "Never slap me again." Maria threw her hand across and Cale flew across the room.

"I wouldn't use your powers in that way, Maria," started Talpa. "I want to use your powers for good."

Maria nodded, not accepting his answer. "Master Talpa, I was wondering if I could see the outside world. I haven't been outside in two years and I would like to go back outside again."

Talpa thought about it. "I will allow this but don't go outside Dynasty territory."

"Yes, Master Talpa."

Talpa dismissed everyone and they all left the room. Maria walked to the entrance of the castle and hesitated by the doors. She then opened the doors and walked outside. Maria walked in the courtyard of the castle and continued her way to the gates, ignoring the soldiers staring at her. She stopped by the gates and stared at the soldier.

"Talpa allowed me to be outside," said Maria. "Open the gates."

The soldier disappeared into the building and, after a few seconds later, the gates opened. Maria walked through the gates and through the fog. Next thing she knew, she was in the middle of a deserted street. There was no sunlight and it was very dark, almost had a haunting feel to it. _No wonder Talpa allowed me outside,_ Maria thought to herself.

As she was walking, Maria looked around at the deserted buildings. She was lucky that she stopped by her room and grabbed her sketch pad so she could draw. Maria didn't know what she should draw until she saw a white tiger standing by a building. Maria made sure that she was unnoticeable and then laid down on the ground. She took out her sketch pad and started drawing the tiger. Maria would look up once in a while to make sure she was drawing the tiger right. After she was done, Maria smiled at her work then looked up but then her smile disappeared; the tiger was gone. Maria looked around to see if she could still find the animal until she felt something nudge her. She turned around and saw the tiger staring at her.

"Hey there," Maria said, holding her hand out. "I'm Maria."

The tiger sniffed her hand and then nudged it. Maria started to scratch the tiger behind the ears, making the tiger purred.

"White Blaze, where are you?" called a voice.

The tiger perked up and Maria stared at the tiger. "Is that your name?" Maria asked. "White Blaze?" The tiger seemed to understand her and nodded.

"White Blaze!" A man stepped through the trees and stared at the two.

Maria's heart fluttered when she saw the man. The man had shoulder length black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a red and white sub-armor, almost like the armor that the Warlords wore. Maria could feel heat rushing to her cheeks. _He's so hot._

White Blaze walked over to the man and rubbed his head on the man's leg.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

That sentence snapped Maria out of her thoughts and she ran away from the man.

"Wait!" the man yelled, running after her.

Maria continued to run and then hid behind a building. She didn't want to lead the man to the castle and she didn't want Talpa to find out about him. Maria peeked around the corner and saw the man standing there, looking for her.

"Ryo!" The man turned around and another man run towards him. This man had short blond hair and blue eyes, with a patch of hair covering his left eye. He was wearing a light green and white sub-armor.

"What's wrong, Ryo?" the blond-haired man asked.

"There was this girl that was heading towards the Dynasty," explained Ryo. "I didn't want her to go there."

"Are you sure you weren't seeing things?"

"I know what I saw, Sage."

"Come on; let's go back."

The two left to go back, leaving Maria speechless. How did they know about Dynasty? Maria got up and ran towards the castle. She wanted answers and she was going to get them.


	4. Chapter 3

**I don't own Ronin Warriors**

* * *

Chapter 3

Maria walked into the castle, a determined look on her face. As she walked, Maria passed by Anubis who, after he saw the look on her face, started following her. They walked into the throne room and Talpa was already in there, talking to Dais.

"Maria, what are-"

"I want answers Talpa," spat Maria, not letting Talpa finish.

"After I'm done," Talpa said, and then turned his attention back to Dais.

Maria, using her telekinesis, took one of the candlesticks and threw it across the room. "NOW!"

Everyone stared at her, shocked by her sudden outburst.

"Explain to me why there are two men who know about Dynasty."

Talpa's eyes flashed red. "I thought I told you to stay in Dynasty territory."

"I did, but a man found me and he and another man knew about the Dynasty."

"It might have been them, Master," Dais whispered to Talpa.

"What were their names?"

"I believe it was Ryo and Sage."

Anubis widen his eyes and Talpa spat out a curse.

"Maria, those men are the Ronin Warriors, and they are the ones who want to stop me," explained Talpa.

"It's only those two?"

"No, there are five; you meet two today. We might have to try you even more, Maria."

 _Great, more training,_ Maria thought.

* * *

After that day, Maria has been getting extra training and the training has gotten worse. Every day, Maria collapsed to her room, tired and sore. Maria thinks of Ryo every time she trained; the image of Ryo popped into her mind and it would distract her. One day, Maria drew a picture of Ryo and hid it away so Talpa or the others wouldn't find it.

The Warlords would always go off to fight the Ronin Warriors but the Warlords would always come home defeated.

* * *

"Maria!" bellowed Talpa one day. Maria walked into the throne room and saw Talpa glaring at her with red eyes. "Can you explain this?!" Talpa exclaimed, producing the drawing of Ryo.

Maria widen her eyes then saw Sekhmet standing next to Talpa, smirking at her. _Figures,_ Maria thought. "Master Talpa, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

"I have given you a place to stay, food, and clothing and this is how you repay me!" Talpa practically screamed at her.

Maria flinched at his tone; she was afraid of what would happen next.

"You should get down on your knees and beg Talpa for mercy," said Sekhmet.

"Wait." Everyone looked at Talpa, surprised by this. "I actually have a little task for you, Maria," said Talpa. "If you complete this task, then I will set you free."

Maria stared at him. If she did what Talpa said, she would be free?

"Master, what-" Dais started but Talpa silenced him.

"She has been very loyal these past couple of years. I know she won't turn her back once she leaves."

"You will really set me free?" Maria asked.

"Yes."

"What do I have to do?"

"Go to the Ronin Warriors and find out their secret. Once you have told me what to do to destroy them, I will let you go."

Maria stared at Talpa then at the drawing of Ryo. Maria admits that she thinks Ryo is cute, but she barely knows him. She looked back at Talpa and nodded. "I'll do it."


	5. Chapter 4

**I don't own Ronin Warriors**

* * *

Chapter 4

Ever since Maria had agreed to help Talpa find out the information of the Ronin Warriors, Maria had felt a purging guilt deep inside of her stomach. She didn't know why but Maria didn't want to help Talpa. Maria felt like she was helping an evil force instead of helping good.

Maria was in her room, thinking over these thoughts, when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Anubis walked in and sat down on the bed. "What's wrong?"

Maria shrugged. "I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to be free, but I'm afraid of the consequences."

"Do you…do you like the Ronin?"

Maria didn't respond and thought about what Anubis said. "I barely know him; why should I care about him?"

"Care about whom?"

Maria and Anubis both looked at the doorway and saw Cale standing there.

"What do you want, Cale?" Anubis asked.

"The Ronin Warriors are near the castle. We have to move now or else we may never have this chance again."

"Ok, but how do I get them to trust me. They'll probably be suspicious if I just walk into the city and ask to be with them for a while."

Cale smirked at her and an evil glint appeared in his eyes. "Don't worry; I know just what to do."

* * *

In the city, Maria and Cale were standing there, both of them watching the Ronins walking through the city.

"So, what's this big plan?" Maria asked quietly so the Ronins wouldn't hear.

Cale turned to her and raised his sword. He brought it down but Maria dodged it just in time. Maria stared at Cale, stunned. "What the hell are you doing?!" Cale charged at Maria and Maria started running away from Cale, who gave chase and ran after her. As Maria was running, many thoughts ran through her head. She didn't know why Cale was trying to kill her or why Talpa is allowing this. _Maybe Talpa fears that I might disobey and he wants me dead,_ Maria thought. Just as Maria turned her head to see if Cale was still following her, Maria tripped over a crack in the street and fell, face first, onto the ground. Maria tried to get up but an armored foot pressed onto her back, keeping her down. She looked up and saw Cale, sword raised. Maria was about to fight back when an armored arm prevented the sword from striking Maria. Maria looked to the side and saw the black-haired man. _It's him,_ Maria thought. _It's Ryo._

Ryo knocked Cale off of her and stood in front of Maria. "Leave her alone, Warlord."

Cale laughed. "Oh yeah? Who's going to stop me?"

Only then did Maria realize what Cale's plan was. Make it seem like Talpa is after her and the Ronins would come and save her. _How original,_ Maria thought.

"My master wants this girl and I'll make sure he gets what he wants," said Cale.

"Why do you want her?" Ryo asked.

"None of your business." Cale charged at Ryo and Ryo prepared to fight.

Maria shot out her hand and Cale stopped. _They'll trust me even more if I show them why Talpa wants me._ Maria threw her hand back and Cale was sent through a building. _Also, that's payback for treating me like a weak, defenseless girl._

Ryo stared at her in shock and Maria returned his stare. "What?" Ryo said nothing.

"Ryo!"

Both of them turned around and saw the other Ronins heading towards them. Maria recognized the blonde one from the other day but she got a good look at the other three. One of the three had shoulder length light brown hair, sea blue eyes, and was wearing a light blue sub-armor. Another one had short blue hair, blue eyes, and was wearing an orange headband and an orange sub-armor. The last one also had short blue hair and blue eyes, but he was wearing a blue headband and a dark blue sub-armor.

"Who is she?" asked the blonde-haired man.

"She was the girl I was talking about," explained Ryo. "The one who ran to the Dynasty."

"Why would she run to the Dynasty?" asked the man in the orange sub-armor.

"I don't know."

"Poor girl," said the man in the light blue sub-armor. "She looks so small and scared."

Maria was about to retort but the man in the orange sub-armor beat her to it. "Just because she looks small doesn't mean she's not dangerous, Cye."

 _Took the words right out of my mouth,_ thought Maria.

"So, you think that she is going to start fighting like a badass, Kento?" the man in the dark blue sub-armor asked, a smirk on his face.

"Hey, you never know what she might do, Rowen."

Maria placed a hand over her mouth to hide in her laugh.

Ryo knelt down in front of her. "Sorry about that. Kento gets suspicious whenever something comes from the Dynasty. I'm Ryo, by the way." Ryo offered a hand to her and Maria smiled. She took Ryo's hand and Ryo helped her up.

"I'm Maria."

The man in the dark blue sub-armor walked up to her and smiled. "I'm Rowen. The brown-haired man is Cye, the blond one is Sage, and the fat one is Kento."

"Hey!" Kento exclaimed.

Maria giggled.

"Why don't you come with us?" suggested Sage. "You'll be safer with us."

"Yes, and you also look like you need something to eat," said Cye.

"Thank you," Maria said, smiling at the guys.

The group started walking through the city. As they were walking, Maria noticed that Kento was following her from behind, watching to see what she would do. Maria also noticed that the other Ronins surrounded her, keeping her in the middle of the circle. _Either they are trying to see what I might do or they want to keep me safe,_ Maria thought.

The group came a stairwell leading underground. They walked down the stairs and Maria had to adjust her eyes to the dim-lighted room.

A young woman, with red hair that went to the middle of her back, was sitting on a bench, looking at her laptop. She was wearing a pink sweater, blue skirt, blue tights, and blue flats. A young boy, about eight years old, was sitting next to her. He had short black hair and black eyes and was wearing a teal shirt, shorts, and sneakers. The two looked up when they all walked in and smiled at the group. Maria flinched at the woman; she had the same color of green eyes as Maria's mom. "You're back," said the woman, and then looked at Maria. "Who's this?"

"Mia, this is Maria," said Cye.

Maria sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Mia asked.

"No, sorry. It's just…your eyes remind me of my mom," said Maria.

Mia didn't say anything.

"What happened to her?" asked Sage.

Maria shook her head; she didn't want to talk about it and the guys nodded their heads in understanding.

The boy looked at Maria and smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Yulie."

"Maria." Maria then noticed the tiger laying by the two and smiled. "I remember you." Maria walked over to him, scratching the tiger behind the ears and the tiger purred.

"That's White Blaze," said Ryo.

"Is he your tiger?" Maria asked, looking at Ryo.

"Yeah."

"Can we eat now?" Kento asked. "I'm starving."

"When are you not hungry?" asked Rowen.

Everyone laughed except for Kento, who had an insulted look on his face.

"Yes, we can," said Mia.

Everyone walked over to a cart that was full of food and started to take something out of it. Kento grabbed a hamburger out of the cart as well as a can of soda. Maria smiled and held out her hand. Right as Kento was about to take a bite, the burger levitated away from Kento and landed in Maria's hands. Everyone stared at Maria with wide eyes as Maria started to eat the hamburger. Maria looked around and stared at them. "What?"

"You have telekinesis," said Rowen.

Kento looked at him, eyebrows raised, waiting for an explanation.

"It means the ability to move people or objects using your mind."

"Is that why Cale was after you?" Ryo asked.

Maria nodded.

After everybody had gotten their food and sat down somewhere, Maria began her 'story.' "The reason why I was at the Dynasty in the first place was because Talpa took me in when no one else would. At first, I thought he was just being nice, but after he found out that I have telekinesis, Talpa wanted to use me to take over the world. I didn't want to hurt anyone so I ran away and hid in the city. Cale found me and tried to take me back but I didn't want to be used as a tool of destruction," Maria explained, half lying and half telling the truth.

"Why did you run away from me that one day?" Ryo asked.

"When I met you, I feared that you worked for Talpa so I ran away. I didn't want to be taken back there."

"Don't worry; now that you're with us, we can use your telekinesis to take the Dynasty down," said Kento.

"NO!"

Everyone looked at Maria in surprise. Maria realized what she did and thought of something to cover up her mistake. "I don't want to use my powers to fight anyone. I only use them in self-dense."

"It's ok," Ryo said, putting a hand on Maria's shoulder. "You don't have to do anything that you feel uncomfortable with."

Maria smiled at him. "Thank you."

"All right Ryo, you just meet the girl. Don't flirt with her," joked Sage.

"Why? You jealous that you're not flirting with her?" Cye asked.

"No," Sage said, blushing.

"Sure thing, blondie," said Kento.

Sage glared at Kento then tackled him to the ground. The two started wrestling and everyone watched the two with a smile on their faces. A smile crept on Maria's face as she watched Sage and Kento wrestle. Maria looked up at Ryo and smiled. _I might actually like it here,_ Maria thought.

* * *

 **I'll try to get the rest of the chapters uploaded soon. Please leave a review. Bye :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello! Sorry for the wait and I know it's been a month since I last updated but I was busy with school and then I lost interest in this story for a while. I was determined, however, to finish this story for I do have plans for its sequel. I actually wrote this while watching episode 12 of Ronin Warriors so there will be some lines I used from that episode into this chapter. So I hope you like this chapter.**

 **I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Maria has been staying with the Ronins for many weeks. She has been studying the Ronins and taking notes about them. For instance, even though Kento is slow and a little large, his largeness makes up for his strength. For Cye, he is not as strong as Kento but Cye has got speed on his side. Rowen thinks things through before attacking and he has really good accuracy. Maria couldn't figure out Sage but for Ryo, Maria noticed that Ryo had both speed and strength. Also, Maria found out that Mia knows about the Ronin Warriors and would ask her questions about them.

Whenever Maria would be alone, she would meet with Anubis and tell him what she has learned about the Ronins. Anubis would tell Talpa but Talpa wants the secret of the Ronins' armor. No matter what Talpa tells Maria, she will not do what Talpa asks. Whenever Anubis asks, Maria would say that she has not found out; even though Maria hasn't attempted to find out.

* * *

One day, Ryo, Cye, Kento, Maria, Mia, and Yulie were in an underground station, resting themselves while Sage and Rowen were scouting the grounds to make sure everything was good. The Ronins had a fight with Dais and the group had found a place to rest before getting back to work. Because of Maria telling Talpa information about the Ronin Warriors, Dais had used this to his advantage to try and trick the Ronins and they had almost been defeated if the Ancient One hadn't stepped in to help the Ronins. Maria had also learned that there was a man called the Ancient One and he has been helping the Ronin Warriors at certain times during their battles. Maria had never seen the man but she did see the Ancient One's staff for a brief second before it disappeared. She also has been feeling an unsettling guilt and can't stop thinking that she's helping the wrong side. It even intensified after the fight with Dais and now, Maria doesn't know what to do.

But back to the story, Ryo, Cye, and Kento had stayed with Mia, Maria, and Yulie to make sure nothing happens to them. Mia was on her laptop, looking up information, while Maria sat beside her, petting White Blaze while trying to get her mind off the guilt that was purging her.

Footsteps were heard and everyone looked up to see Sage and Rowen walking down the stairs. "Everything looks good up there. I think it's safe to assume that we can go up and walk around a bit."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kento asked, getting up. "Let's go up and see what Talpa is doing."

"Calm down, Kento," said Ryo. "We can't just rush into this head on. We need to be cautious."

"Why? We are the Ronin Warriors and we can handle anything Talpa throws at us."

"You never know what Talpa might be planning," Cye said.

"He's right," agreed Rowen. "For all we know, we might be walking right into a trap."

"We should just be cautious and watch our surroundings as we walk around the city," said Sage.

"All right, let's go," Ryo said.

Everyone got up and headed up the stairs, leaving the safety of the underground station. The group started walking around the city, the Ronins checking their surroundings to make sure nothing jumped at them. For the past twenty minutes, nothing happened and the Ronins started to feel some tension leave their bodies. Maria, however, was concerned. She knew that Talpa wouldn't let the Ronins just waltz into Dynasty territory without some sort of fight. _What is he planning?_ Maria thought to herself.

"It's quiet," Ryo stated after a few moments of silence.

"Come on, Talpa," called Kento. "You got to come out sooner or later."

Maria shook her head and rolled her eyes at Kento's ignorance.

"All this destruction…and, for what?" Mia wondered.

Yulie saw something out of the corner of his eye and ran to it.

"Yulie, don't run off!"

Yulie stood in front of a skateboard shop, staring at the skateboards behind the window. Mia walked over to him and stood behind him. "Are you all right, Yulie?"

"Yeah, but I have to help my mom and dad," Yulie answered and then got on his skateboard, riding off ahead of the group.

"Yulie, wait! Yulie, I don't want you taking off by yourself!" Mia started running after him. "Yulie!"

"I don't understand, how did a child get into this mess?" Maria asked out loud.

"Yulie got separated from his parents and Talpa has all the people in the city captured in his castle," explained Rowen. "Including Yulie's parents."

"Poor kid."

"We made a promise to rescue all the people Talpa kidnapped as well as turn the city back to normal," said Ryo.

Maria stared at him, her eyes slightly wide. _Have I been misled this entire time? Was Talpa telling me lies?_ Maria shook those thoughts out of her head. _No, Talpa has been there for me for years while I've only known the Ronins for a few weeks. But…what if Talpa is wrong?_

Suddenly, White Blaze started growling. Everyone turned their attention to the tiger, who was crouched down and bearing his teeth. "White Blaze, what's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"Do you guys here that?" Rowen asked and, just after he asked that, Dynasty soldiers jumped out of the shadows and attacked the Ronins. Each Ronin held their own but they soon found themselves surrounded by an army of soldiers.

"There's the action I'm talking about," Kento said, smirking.

"Hey, what about Mia and Yulie?" asked Sage.

Maria silently gasped, figuring out what Talpa was doing. She remembered telling him that the Ronins were strong if they were a team. That means Talpa is planning on separating them and the only way to do that is… _No,_ Maria thought. _I will not let Talpa put innocent people, who have nothing to do with this war, into this matter. I will not allow it!_ Using her telekinesis, Maria destroyed a small cluster of soldiers, making a path for herself. The Ronins were amazed by this but they were snapped out of it when Maria started running away.

"Maria, wait!" Cye yelled but Maria didn't listen. She was determined to get to Mia and Yulie before they got hurt. Maria saw two figures up ahead and, as she got closer, realized it was Mia and Yulie heading back.

"Mia! Yulie!" yelled Maria.

"Maria?" asked Mia.

"Look, you have to get out of here; you have to hide."

"Why?"

"I don't have time to explain but you are in danger."

Suddenly, Dynasty soldiers appeared around the trio, staring down at them with their weapons readied. Maria got into a fighting pose, glaring at the soldiers. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flight of stairs that led underground. "Listen carefully, when I tell you to, run to the stairs and go down. Don't wait for me; just keep going," ordered Maria.

"Are you sure?" Mia asked.

"Yes." Maria then shot out her hand, sending a group of soldiers flying towards a building. "Now!" Mia and Yulie started running towards the stairs while Maria used her telekinesis to cover them. Once Maria saw that the two went underground, Maria breathed a sigh of relief then turned her attention to the sky. "This is low, Talpa, even for you!"

The soldiers disappeared and a holographic image of Talpa appeared before her. "Maria, what are you doing?"

"You said you want to help the mortal world but instead, you are putting two people in harm's way just to split up the Ronin Warriors. There are other ways to do it instead of using innocent lives."

"I'm not hurting them, only using them to my advantage."

"And what about all those people you have held captive in your castle? Are you ever going to let them go? Are you going to let the child be reunited with his parents?"

"Why do you care so much about what happens to the mortal world? If I remember correctly, they didn't help you when you needed it most."

Maria winched at that. "Maybe so, but those two haven't done anything to me and neither has any of those people you have in your castle. They don't deserve to be part of this war."

"You don't understand, but the mortals are helping our side. They are creating more Dynasty soldiers and spirits for me to use at my disposal."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm using all the despair and negative thoughts from the humans to create an endless army to use against the Ronins Warriors."

Maria gasped; she couldn't believe that Talpa was using the people in this city to make an army.

"And, with your information you have given me from the Ronin Warriors, we will be able to crush them once and for all."

 _What have I done?_ Maria wondered.

"Come back with me, Maria, and help me destroy the Ronin Warriors to make this city a better place."

"No, you don't want to make this city a better place. You just want to control it. The Ronins were right; you are a monster!"

Talpa's eyes glowed red. "You dare to betray me?! After everything I have done for you?!"

"You have done nothing for me! You've just been using me all this time to get information on the Ronins. I refuse to help you and I won't tell you about the Ronins."

"You have failed at that, Maria, for you have told me more than enough."

"No, I haven't told you the one thing that you keep on asking me: the secret of their armors. That will always be hidden from you and you will never find out what makes the Ronin Warriors so strong. They will defeat you and free this city from your tyranny."

"I've tried to be nice to you, Maria, but it seems I have no choice." Dynasty soldiers then appeared and grabbed ahold of Maria. "Kill her." Talpa's hologram disappeared and the soldiers started closing in on Maria, who tried to get herself free. However, the army knew of Maria's intentions for when she used her telekinesis to push soldiers away, more came in to take the place of the fallen ones. The soldiers raised their weapons and Maria closed her eyes, bracing herself for the strike.

"Let her go, bucket-heads!" a voice yelled. Maria's eyes snapped open as Ryo kicked the soldiers away from Maria. A soldier charged at Ryo with his spear but Ryo raised his arm, blocking the attack. He then punched the soldier with his free hand and kicked the other one that was coming at him from behind. Out of the corner of her eye, Maria saw a soldier sneaking towards Ryo. Maria shot out her hand, making the soldier stop in his tracks. Maria pulled her hand back and then pushed it out, causing the soldier to fly into a window of a shop.

Once all the soldiers were taken care of, Ryo walked over to Maria. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, they just caught me by surprise."

"Why did you run away?"

"I was worried about Mia and Yulie so I went to find them. I did but an army surrounded us. I was able to get Mia and Yulie underground but the soldiers caught me. I started fighting them when a group of them got hold of me. They were about to kill me when you came in and stopped them." Maria didn't tell Ryo about her encounter with Talpa. She thought that was something she had to say in front of everyone instead of just repeating the story over again.

"I see, but don't go off like that again. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Well someone had to help Mia and Yulie and you all were occupied so I decided to do it myself."

"Still, you could have taken one of us with you."

"I guess I wasn't really thinking. Sorry."

"It's all right. Come on, we should go find the others."

"What do you mean?"

"We all got separated so we have to find everyone and regroup."

 _I guess Talpa did succeed with his plan,_ Maria thought to herself. She and Ryo started walking through the city, in search of their missing friends.

* * *

 **Yes, I've realized that Maria has quickly made up her mind but she did spend a lot of time with the Ronins to realize that she has made a mistake and that she is fighting one the wrong side, I just didn't really describe it. Also, I'm about halfway done with this story and I'm determined to complete it. I'll try to update tomorrow but I make no promises for I'm going to be trying to update my other two stories before Thursday for I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled that day. Not looking forward to that.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review for me. Bye! :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Ryo and Maria walked through the city, trying to find their friends. The two were quiet, not really talking much as they walked. They haven't been attacked since Ryo rescued Maria from certain death and while Ryo was uncertain about this, Maria knew that Talpa had gotten what he wanted and separated the Ronins. She now feels even more guilt than she has ever felt in her entire life.

"Maria!"

Maria snapped her attention to Ryo, who had stopped walking and was staring at her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Maria asked.

"I asked if you were ok. You weren't talking for a while and you seemed distance."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought you were mad with me and didn't want to talk with me."

"I'm not mad." Ryo walked over to Maria, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I was just worried when I saw those soldiers surround you."

Maria was shocked about what Ryo said to her and she had to control herself from getting emotional. "You…You were worried about me?"

"Of course, you're my friend. I care about you."

Tears weld up in Maria's eyes as she launched herself onto Ryo, hugging him tightly. Ryo was shocked by first but when he felt her body shaking, Ryo wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. "Hey, it's ok."

"I'm sorry," Maria said, her voice cracking as she pulled away from Ryo. "It's just been so long since somebody cared about me."

"What are you talking about? Don't you have a mom and dad who love you?"

Maria shook her head. "No. My life has been terrible and I don't know who to trust anymore."

"You can trust me."

"Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"You'll hate me when you realize what I've done."

Ryo pulled away and then cupped Maria's face in his hands, wiping the tears. "Maria, you're my friend. I could never hate you."

Maria stared at him for a moment, internally deciding if he was telling the truth or not. "Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Ryo, I…I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I-"

"Ryo! Maria!" The two turned around to see Cye walking towards them.

"Hey, Cye," Ryo greeted, walking over to him. "I'm guessing you haven't seen the others."

"No, you two are the first I've seen. Maria, are you ok?" Cye asked when he saw the distraught look on Maria's face.

Maria gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. We should go and find the others." Maria walked off, leaving Ryo and Cye behind her. Ryo and Cye stared at each other before hurrying after her.

"Did something happen?" Cye quietly asked Ryo.

"I think something is bothering her. She seemed scared to talk to me and she thought that I would hate her after she tells me what happened," answered Ryo.

"She doesn't think that, does she?"

"I've tried to reassure her that I won't be she seemed unsure, almost scared."

"I hope it's nothing bad. She seems like a really nice girl."

"Yeah, she is."

"Guys, I see Sage!" yelled Maria. "He's getting attacked by soldiers!"

Ryo and Cye ran over to where Maria was standing and sure enough, Sage was holding himself off against soldiers while White Blaze was protecting Mia and Yulie.

"Cye, let's go!" Ryo ordered, charging over to help Sage, with Cye following suit.

Sage was dealing with the army in front of him but one of the soldiers got a hold of him from behind, holding the Ronin in his arms. Two other soldiers appeared in front of him, weapons ready. They charged at Sage and before they were able to strike Sage, Ryo and Cye knocked them down. Sage was then able to get out of the grasp of the soldier holding him and flip him over. The three stood back to back as the army surrounded them.

"Are you ok?" Ryo asked Sage.

"I had it under control," said Sage. "But thanks."

Cye let out a small chuckle.

As the three were taken down the army, Maria headed over to Mia and Yulie. "Are you two ok?" Maria asked them.

"Yes, thanks for helping us escape back then," said Mia.

Maria smiled at her. "You're welcome."

"You also found Ryo and Cye!" Yulie cheered.

"Actually, Ryo and Cye found me. Get back!" Maria pushed Mia and Yulie back as she lifted up her hand, making the soldier coming at them freeze in his spot. Maria lifted the soldier up then threw him back into his buddies, taking out a handful of them.

"Thanks," said Mia. "Again."

Maria opened her mouth to say something when suddenly, more soldiers surrounded the group. White Blaze growled and Maria got into a fighting position. Before any of the soldiers could attack, they started falling to the ground one by one. Maria was confused by this until she saw Rowen and Kento appear from the fallen soldiers.

"Kento! Rowen!" Sage yelled as he punched a soldier in the face.

"Come on, save some of the fun for us," Kento said as he started kicking and punching soldiers left and right.

"Are you three all right?" Rowen asked.

"Yes, we're fine," answered Mia.

"Good." Rowen stood beside Maria and together, they fought off the small army that was advancing towards them. Finally, the Ronins and Maria were able to get rid of the army of soldiers and had regrouped.

"How did you find us?" Ryo asked Kento and Rowen.

"We heard all the smashing and bashing," answered Rowen.

"Good thing we got here or else we would have missed all the fun," commented Kento.

"Now we know another way to get Kento's attention besides food," stated Sage.

"Hey!" The group laughed as Kento glared at Sage.

"Now that we're back together, it should be easy to get into the Dynasty and take down Talpa," said Ryo.

"Wait, does anyone find this weird?" asked Cye.

"What do you mean?" Kento asked.

"I agree with Cye," said Rowen. "Talpa hasn't tried to split us up before. For the past few weeks, he'd just been sending his Warlords to fight us but now he seems more tactically, like he somehow knows how to get to us."

The guilt was coming back to Maria. All of this had started because of her and she knew she had to say something about it.

"How could Talpa have known how to get to us?" Sage asked.

"Yeah, it's not like he sent a spy or anything," agreed Kento.

Maria flinched at that and was now starting to worry what the group would think of her. Ryo did promise her that he wouldn't hate her but she was starting to think that promise would break. But…what if he does stand up for her? Gathering up her courage, Maria looked at the group, her friends, and decided to tell them. "Guys, I have something to tell you." Everyone turned their attention to Maria, who was slightly shaking from fear and nervousness. Taking a deep breath, Maria started talking. "I know why Talpa has been changing and how he knows what to do to fight against you."

"Really?" Yulie asked.

"It was me. I've been telling Talpa about you for the past few weeks. That's how Talpa knew about your fighting techniques."

* * *

 **How will the Ronins react to Maria's statement. Find out in the next chapter. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**I don't own the Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Up in the Dynasty castle, Talpa was seething at the fact that the Ronin Warriors were together again. He was even more pissed off when he saw that Maria was helping the group and attacking his army. Talpa knew he had to stop Maria before she used her powers to help the Ronin Warriors.

"Anubis," Talpa called out. "Come forth."

Anubis appeared before Talpa and bowed before him. "Yes, Master Talpa?"

"I need you to go and get Maria," ordered Talpa. "Bring her back to me!"

Anubis nodded his head. "Yes, Master."

* * *

"You helped him?!" Kento yelled at Maria. "You told Talpa about us?!"

"I didn't know you at the time," Maria told him. "I also thought I couldn't trust you guys."

"But you trusted Talpa," stated Cye.

"I-"

"What else did you tell them?" Sage asked, eyes narrowed at her. "Did you tell Talpa how to kill us?"

"That's why Dais was able to almost beat us that one time," Rowen realized. "Maria had told them about our fighting styles."

"Maria, we trusted you," said Ryo. "How could you betray us like that?"

Maria stared at him, tears forming in her eyes. She knew it; she knew Ryo wouldn't be able to keep his promise. Maria lowered her head. She avoided looking at any of them in the eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry is not going to cut it," said Kento.

Maria bit her lip, not saying anything. She was mostly trying to keep her tears from falling. Maria dared to look up and saw that the Ronins were staring at her with an almost hateful expression while Mia and Yulie were hurt by Maria's betrayal. Even White Blaze looked unsure about Maria. The one thing that hurt Maria was the way Ryo looked at her. "You promised," Maria told Ryo, tears shinning in her eyes.

Ryo was taken back by this but then remembered what he had promised Maria earlier.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _"Maria, you're my friend," said Ryo. "I could never hate you."_

 _"Do you promise?" Maria asked._

 _"I promise."_

 **END FLASHBACK**

Ryo stared at Maria, his expression changed to that of remorse. He opened his mouth to speak but Maria shook her head. "It's ok, I understand." Maria smiled sadly at them as a tear ran down her face. "How could anyone care for a stupid girl like myself?"

This made everyone stare at Maria with a shocked expression.

"I'll go away and leave you alone, but beat Talpa and save the people from him." Maria turned around and ran away from the group, tears running down her face.

"Maria, wait!" Ryo called but Maria was too far away to hear him.

"Why would Maria say that about herself?" Yulie asked Mia.

"I don't know, Yulie," Mia answered him.

"When Ryo and I were with her, she looked like she had been crying," said Cye.

"What was she crying about?" Sage asked.

"I really don't know," answered Ryo. "She started crying when I said I cared about her as a friend. Maria told me she never really had people who cared about her."

"What about her parents?" Yulie asked.

Ryo shook his head. "She didn't give me full detail but she said her past was terrible and she didn't know who to trust anymore. I told her that she could trust me but she said if she told me about herself that I would hate her." Ryo lowered his head. "I even told her that I wouldn't hate her. I think that's when she was going to tell me that she was a spy for Talpa when you came in." Ryo looked at Cye when he said that.

"I can't believe we misjudged her," muttered Rowen.

"I feel like an idiot," Kento said.

Sage opened his mouth to retort but decided that it wasn't the time.

"We have to find her," said Ryo. "Talpa might try to take her back for her ability."

The Ronins nodded and then hurried off to find Maria.

* * *

Maria was sitting against a building, crying into her hands. She knew she shouldn't have said anything but she thought was doing the right thing. How wrong Maria was thinking that the group would accept her for what she did.

The thundering of footsteps grabbed Maria's attention and she lifted her head to see Anubis walking towards her. Maria hastily wiped her eyes as Anubis stood in front of her. The two were silent, not saying anything to each other.

"I'm not going back there," Maria told Anubis, breaking the silence.

"Talpa wants you back, Maria," said Anubis.

"He doesn't 'want me.' Talpa's been using me to get information about the Ronin Warriors. He's afraid that I'll use my ability to help them and he should be."

"But the Ronins turned you away; they don't want you."

Maria lowered her eyes to the ground, thinking about what Anubis said. She then looked back up, determination in her eyes. "They might have turned me away, but I won't let Talpa use me to take over this city."

Anubis stared at Maria, not saying anything.

"Anubis, I consider you as a brother. I don't want to fight you so please just go away and leave me alone."

"You know if I do that, Talpa will just send one of the other Warlords to come and get you. They will probably do anything to get you to come back to the Dynasty, even almost kill you in the process."

"I know, but I would rather fight them than fight you."

Anubis sighed then shook his head. "You can be so stubborn at times." Maria cracked a smile.

* * *

In the castle, Talpa saw the exchange between Anubis and Maria and Talpa's eyes glowed red with anger. "Anubis' heart isn't aligned with the dark side," Talpa thought out loud. "It seems I will need change that. Neither spirits, come forth!"

The throne room was filled with neither spirits as they stared at Talpa, awaiting his command. "Go and fill Anubis with the power of darkness."

The neither spirits' eyes flashed red in understanding as they left to accomplish their mission. The spirits formed a circle and started chanting. Soon, an image of Anubis and Maria appeared in the circle. The spirits focused on Anubis and they flew into the circle.

* * *

Back at the city, Anubis started feeling a pain in his head. He clutched his head but he started screaming as the pain increased.

"Anubis?" Maria asked, startled by his outburst. "Are you ok?"

Anubis continued screaming when he suddenly stopped, frozen in place. Maria took a step towards him but when Anubis turned towards her, she was surprised to see a malicious look in his eyes. "Anubis?"

Anubis grinned evilly and then swiped his sickle at Maria, who nearly avoided getting her head cut off. "Anubis, what the hell?!"

"You have one choice, girl," started Anubis. "You either come with me peacefully or I might have to use other methods." To prove his point, Anubis pointed his sickle towards Maria, the weapon gleaming at the point.

"This isn't you, Anubis."

"I guess it's the hard way." Anubis' grin widen. "That'll make my job easier." Anubis charged at Maria but she dodged his attacks. Maria then lifted up her hand, making Anubis freeze in his spot. Maria pushed her hand out and Anubis went flying into a building.

"I'm sorry," Maria said as she started running away from Anubis.

Suddenly, a chain wrapped around Maria as she was flown into Anubis' arms. Maria struggled in the chain and she winced as Anubis tightened the chain around her. She then felt the tip of the sickle press against her throat. "I wouldn't do anything hasty if I were you, girl," warned Anubis.

Maria stared up at Anubis in fear; she didn't know what to do. Maria moved her hand around and then gestured toward Anubis, who froze again. She then started moving her hand around as Anubis slowly released Maria. Before Maria was set free, Anubis gripped Maria in his arms and then wrapped the chain around her throat. Maria gasped for air as Anubis tightened the chain around her body and throat. She was losing air fast and she didn't know if she could stay conscious for much longer. Maria's vision got blurry as Anubis stared down at her with an evil smirk.

Suddenly, an arrow was shot towards them and it broke the chain, releasing Maria.

"What?" Anubis exclaimed, staring at the chain.

Maria breathed heavily as she looked to see who saved her. Standing not that far from her, in their full armors, was the Ronin Warriors.

"Get away from her, Warlord," ordered Ryo.

Anubis laughed. "You don't give me orders, Ronin. My master wants this girl and you don't want seem to want her anymore."

Maria flinched at the statement, casting her eyes to the ground.

"She may have lied to us, but Maria is still our friend," said Cye.

"And if you mess with our friend, you'll pay dearly for it," Kento said, taking out his naginata.

Maria looked back up at the Ronins. Had they forgiven her or were they just saying that so she wouldn't go with Anubis? Either way, Maria felt like she wouldn't be able to forgive herself for what she did.

"Well, it seems we're at an impasse. We both want the girl so I guess the only way to settle it is to fight me!" Anubis raised his sickle which gleams at the tip of it.

"We're not scared of you," declared Ryo.

Anubis snickered as thunder rumbled in the sky. "Quake with Fear!" He threw the sickle into the ground and red light shone from the cracked ground. The ground split, rapidly heading towards the group. They were able to get out of the way as the attack struck a building, splitting it in half.

"Woah, Anubis is way stronger now," commented Kento.

"How did he get so powerful?" wondered Sage.

Even Maria wondered that as well. She had never seen him this powerful or this wicked. The Anubis she knew was never like this before unless…Maria's eyes widen as she realized what had happened. Talpa is controlling him.

"Ronin Warriors, you will die!" Anubis exclaimed, about to throw his chain at them but realized he couldn't move. "What?!" Out of the corner of his eye, Anubis saw Maria with her hand raised towards him. "You little-"

"Strike him!" yelled Maria, looking at the guys. "Do it now while I still have a hold on him!"

Rowen placed an arrow in his bow and the arrow lit up as it gained energy. "Arrow Shock Wave!" Rowen released the arrow and it went flying towards Anubis, transforming into a comet. Right before the attack hit Anubis, Maria got away so that she wouldn't be hit by the blast but as she did, Maria momentarily freed Anubis, who only had a minute to catch the arrow before it pierced him in the head. The power from the arrow flowed around Anubis and he screamed in pain as he felt the power surge around him. Once the light faded, Anubis was still standing but his helmet had come off, revealing his face.

"A human dark Warlord?!" exclaimed Rowen.

"Does that mean all the Warlords are human?" asked Sage.

"Yeah, they are," Maria admitted quietly.

A red glow surrounded Anubis for a moment before it disappeared and then Anubis collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Maria took a step towards Anubis when lighting pierced the ground Anubis was at, forming a red sphere around him. He was lifted into the air as he floated to the castle when a blue light formed around Anubis, bringing him over to a figure standing on a building. A man with long white hair and a straw hat covering his eyes held Anubis in his arms. He was wearing a blue and white robe with sandals and he was carrying a golden staff with six rings on it.

"It's the Ancient," stated Ryo. "He has come to help us."

* * *

Up in the castle, Talpa had seen what the Ancient had done and he was pissed. The Ancient had defeated him a thousand years ago and now, he was interfering with Talpa's plans. "That monk, how dare he interfer with my armor!" Talpa yelled, his eyes glowing red. Talpa knew that in order to get his full armor back, the Ancient had to die.


	9. Chapter 8

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 8

In a small forest by a pond, Anubis was lying on the ground while the Ancient One watched over him. The Ronin Warriors stood not that far from the Ancient and Mia and Yulie were off to the side. Maria stood away from everyone else. Even though the Ronins had saved her from Anubis, Maria didn't think they had forgiven her so she didn't feel comfortable hanging around them as much.

White Blaze walked up to the Ancient, nuzzling his leg affectionately. The Ancient turned around and smiled at the tiger. "White Blaze, it's good to see you my friend." The Ancient turned towards the Ronins. "Ryo of the Wildfire, Rowen of the Strata, Sage of Halo, Cye of the Torrent, and Kento of Hardrock; I'm pleased to see how much you have learned. You have understood the powers of your armors. I think you are ready to fight the evil Dynasty."

"Thank you, but we owe you a lot of credit," said Sage. "You saved us from Talpa many times."

"Mia, who's he?" Yulie quietly asked Mia, referring to the Ancient, but Mia shushed him.

The Ancient glanced at Mia and Yulie and then turned towards them. "I'm sorry for what you've been through, young woman. I hope you and the young one are all right and thank you for your help. You've helped bring the Ronins together and made them stronger."

"I've heard that the Ronins' armors are powerful once they all work together and now I've seen for myself that it's true," Mia told him.

"The power of the armors can only be revealed once they join forces to battle as one."

"I bet Maria gave that away to Talpa," Kento muttered but Maria heard it. While she did tell Talpa information about the Ronins, she decided to keep this specific information from him. Talpa couldn't know of the power the Ronins could produce if they all combined their powers into one.

The Ancient turned towards Maria, who took a step back from him. She had never seen of this Ancient until he appeared just a few moments ago. But according to the Ronins, this man had helped them a lot during their fights with the Warlords.

"I see Talpa has corrupted you to join his side," observed the Ancient.

Maria nodded. "Yeah, he did but when I found out what he was doing, I didn't want to help him anymore. He was only using me because of my ability."

"Yes. Telekinesis is a very powerful ability and it can be a good ability if used for the right reasons."

 _I haven't used them for the right reasons,_ Maria thought to herself.

"I know what you're thinking, young one. You are regretting doing anything for Talpa and for siding with him but you didn't give in to his darkness." The Ancient glanced at Anubis. "Like this man did."

"Ancient, how did Anubis receive this armor?" Rowen asked, changing the subject. "Did Talpa create these armors?"

"No, Talpa didn't make the Dark Warlords' armors," answered the Ancient.

"So where did the armors come from?" asked Cye.

"The Warlords' armors are the same as your own."

"Wait, how can their armors be the same as ours?" Ryo asked.

"Talpa controls the Dark Warlords' armor, and he can control you too if goodness does not run through your soul. You must remember, Ronin Warriors, Talpa will stop at nothing to control your armors with evil."

"We won't let that demon control us," Kento reassured the Ancient. "We won't fall for his tricks like some would." Even though Kento didn't say any names, Maria knew he was referring to her and she had to control herself from lashing out at him.

Moaning could be as everyone turned their attention to Anubis, who was slowly waking up. The Ronins took out their weapons, readying themselves for a fight.

"Wait!" The Ancient called, lowering his staff. "You must let me talk to him."

"But-"

"You have to give him a chance," Maria interrupted. "Anubis needs a chance to change sides, just like I did."

"Your friend is right," confirmed the Ancient. "Would you all please leave us alone?"

The Ronins put away their weapons and started walking away, with Mia, Yulie, and Maria following them.

"Young woman, I want you to stay," the Ancient told Maria. "You can help Anubis change sides."

"Ok," Maria said quietly. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she walked over to the Ancient's side.

Anubis opened his eyes and then sat up, seeing Maria and the Ancient standing in front of him. He looked over at Maria, who gave him a reassuring smile.

"Anubis, open your heart and listen closely to what I have to say," said the Ancient.

Anubis turned his attention to the Ancient.

"Anubis, Talpa cares nothing about you at all, does he?"

"Yes, perhaps you are right, but Talpa controls my life."

"Your life? I think what's more important to him right now is the armor that you're wearing."

"My armor?!"

"Yes, he's never cared about you. It's only your armor that he desires."

Anubis turned to Maria but even she was shocked by this statement. She never knew that Talpa cared about the armors that much.

"My armor, and the other armors, what can you tell me about them?" Anubis asked.

"The armors are all part of the same whole. There's virtue, justice, wisdom, life-force, and also trust," explained the Ancient.

"They're made of human emotions?"

The Ancient held up his staff. "Look at the light, Anubis!" His staff lit up.

Anubis covered his eyes from the light. Maria squinted her eyes from the light but somehow found comfort in the light. Anubis walked over to a pond and looked at himself. He saw a symbol appear on his forehead. "Loyalty."

"What you see is the soul of your armor. Your symbol is loyalty, which means you do whatever your master asks of you, but you have a right to choose your own master."

"Talpa was with me, ever since I first became aware of my armor."

The light disappeared. "You have been working for Talpa for more than a thousand years. Your armor and the armors of the other Warlords are the same as that of the Ronin armor." The Ancient started walking away.

"Ancient, is this true? Tell me!"

"Look inside yourself, Anubis. You are the one who can feel it. Open your heart and be transformed by what you find there. This is your path, make it a journey!" The Ancient disappeared into the forest and all that was heard was the sound of the rings clinging as he walked.

* * *

In the castle, Talpa appeared before his Warlords.

"Curses! Anubis has sided with that monk, but that won't do. I must have his armor," said Talpa.

Cale stepped forward. "Master Talpa, why are you so concerned about Anubis's armor?"

"Yes, why?" asked Sekhmet.

"Silence! Find Anubis and bring him back to me. I must have his armor; you don't know how much power it contains."

"What are you saying, Master?" asked Cale.

"Master, what is this power?" asked Dais.

Talpa's eyes glowed red and beams shot out, shocking the Warlords which made them scream in pain.

"The power is far beyond your grasp; that much is certain. The Ronins and that monk have surrounded Anubis and made him turn against us. Now, join forces, the three of you. I don't care how, just bring me the armor!"

The Warlords then disappeared.

* * *

Maria stood behind Anubis, who was staring at his reflection in the water. "Anubis?" Maria asked, taking a step towards him. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know what to think, Maria," answered Anubis. "I've served Talpa for a thousand years and now, I've been told that Talpa doesn't care about me but only the armor that I wear."

"I know how that feels." Maria walked over to Anubis and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You think that someone cares for you only to be used as a tool for their amusement."

Anubis glanced at Maria. "You've been hurt before?"

"Yeah, for most of my life actually. Then, when Talpa found me, I thought I was doing the right thing until I realized what his real motives were."

"How were you able to decide not to follow Talpa anymore?"

"Talpa is evil and he was also using me. Do you really want to follow someone who only uses you to get what he wants? Do you want to follow the path of darkness?"

Anubis stared at Maria, not sure what to think of this.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled and lightening flashed across the sky. The lightening then pierced the ground and three figures appeared from the lightening.

Anubis groaned. "Not them."

Sekhmet stepped out of the trees and faced Anubis and Maria. "Well?"

"We've come to get you," said Dais, dangling from a tree like a spider.

"We've traveled a long way, Anubis," Cale said, stepping out of the forest.

The Warlords stared at Anubis and Maria felt uncomfortable with the three surrounding them. She was then surprised when Anubis chuckled. "You're wasting your time."

"Master Talpa awaits, he commands that you return," said Sekhmet.

"Now!" yelled Dais.

"I won't return to your master," said Anubis.

Maria stared at Anubis, smiling slightly. _He's made his choice._

"These are foolish words," said Cale.

"Talpa tried to kill me," Anubis said, walking away. "I can no longer serve him."

Cale snickered. "I think Talpa disagrees. It's by his order that we take you back!" Cale went to attack Anubis.

"He said no!" Maria yelled, using her telekinesis to send Cale into a tree.

"Get out of here," Anubis whispered to Maria.

Maria ignored him. She wasn't going to leave her friend alone to deal with these bullies. Maria would fight with Anubis to make sure the Warlords didn't Anubis back to Talpa.

"Ah yes, the other traitor," said Sekhmet. "I know Talpa wants you back as well."

"We are not serving Talpa anymore!" declared Maria. "Go tell that demon to rot in hell!"

Sekhmet then took out a sword and charged at Maria. However, Anubis blocked the attack, kicking Sekhmet away. Dais threw his kamas at the two but Maria raised her hand, making the weapon stop inches from her face. She then grabbed the weapon and wrenched it from Dais' grasp. Cale stepped towards her and prepared to strike Maria when Anubis tackled him. Sekhmet took out a katana and went to attack Anubis. "Anubis!" Maria exclaimed, throwing him the kamas. Anubis caught it and held it up, blocking the katana from striking him. Suddenly, Cale came up and jabbed Anubis in the stomach with his claw, making Anubis gasp in pain and then pass out.

Maria went to check on him but Sekhmet grabbed her from behind. He held on of his katanas to her throat, pressing the tip to her flesh. "I wouldn't do anything hasty, girl," he growled into her ear.

Dais dropped to the ground. "It was foolish of you to challenge Master Talpa."

Maria spat at him, catching him in the eye. Dais growled, wiping away the spit, before punching her in the stomach. Maria gasped in pain and she wanted to hunch over in pain but remembered the sword pointed to her throat.

"Let's take them," stated Sekhmet.

Dais and Cale nodded as they reached for Anubis.

Suddenly, an arrow came flying in and pierced the ground in front of the Warlords. They all looked up and saw Rowen standing on a tree branch, another arrow in his bow.

"Get away from them!" yelled Rowen. "Right now!"

The others came out from the forest and stood in front of the Warlords.

"This is not your affair, Ronins," said Sekhmet.

"We'll take care of Anubis and Maria," Cale said.

"They may not serve Talpa but we can still use them," stated Dais.

"I don't think so," said Ryo. "They're staying with us."

Maria took this opportunity to get away from Sekhmet so she saw at a rock lying not that far from her and focused on it. The rock levitated then flew at Sekhmet, hitting him in the head. This distracted Sekhmet as Maria got out of his grasp. "You little brat!" Sekhmet exclaimed, raising his katana. Before he could strike Maria, Ryo appeared before her, raising his katana. The swords clashed as the two started fighting. The Warlords were soon engaged in a battle with the other Ronins.

Maria watched the fight, amazed that the guys could still take on the Warlords even after the information she had told Talpa. She heard Anubis groan then turned around and saw him slowly getting up. Anubis looked up and saw that the Ronins were fighting the Warlords. "They fight…for me?" Anubis asked, staring at the fight.

"Looks like it," said Maria.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled and lightening pierced the ground, blinding everyone.

Through the light, Maria and Anubis saw the Warlords walking towards them. Sekhmet and Dais came out and grabbed Anubis. "No!" Maria exclaimed, trying to grab Anubis. "Let him go!"

Cale appeared behind Maria, grabbing hold of her. "Don't worry, you're coming too, girl." Maria struggled to get out of his grip but Cale wouldn't budge.

Anubis stared at his friend and knew he had to do something. When his eyes met Maria's, Anubis gave her a small smile. Anubis jumped up and kicked Cale in the side, freeing Maria. She collapsed to the ground but before she could do anything else, the light vanished and the Warlords and Anubis were gone.


	10. Chapter 9

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Maria stared at the spot Anubis last was. She couldn't believe he had saved her just so that she wouldn't face Talpa's wrath. Maria took deep breaths to calm her racing heart as she realized how close she was from going back to the Dynasty.

"Aw, we failed," Maria heard Rowen say. "Anubis is going with them."

"He wasn't going with them," Maria said quietly.

"And how would you know?" Kento asked, narrowing his eyes.

Maria glared at him. "Because I was there, asshole! He fought against the Warlords to stay here for he didn't want to go back!" Maria lowered her eyes, staring at the ground. "Anubis saved me from going back there."

Cye walked over to Maria and helped her up. "Are you all right, Maria?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine, thanks."

The clinging of the staff turned their attention to see the Ancient walking towards them, with Mia, Yulie, and White Blaze close behind.

"Now that Talpa has the armor of Anubis, he craves for all your armors," stated the Ancient.

"All right, we'll go to the castle," said Ryo.

"The castle is full of dark forces. You have to be careful," The Ancient said.

"Don't worry; we won't let Talpa get us," said Kento.

"Ancient, how are the Ronins going to get to Talpa's castle?" asked Yulie.

The Ancient stared at him. "I'll be the bridge to Talpa's domain."

"Once we get in, Talpa will be toast," said Rowen.

"We'll do what we have to do, to free the city again," said Sage.

Kento looked at Yulie. "You'll be with your parents in no time, Yulie."

"Really?!" asked Yulie.

"But, can we eat first?"

"I guess Kento can't fight on an empty stomach."

"Hey, watch it, kid."

Everyone started laughing but the Ancient looked up at the sky. He could sense that something wasn't right.

* * *

In the castle, Anubis was forced to his knees, with Cale and Sekhmet holding Anubis's arms. Dais grabbed a fistful of Anubis' hair and pulled, making him look at Talpa.

"Don't bother talking to him," said Talpa. "He's lost to us."

"I do not understand, Master," said Cale.

"Anubis, come back to me. I can't give you over to the monk."

"No, it's only my armor that you want," Anubis said then winced in pain as Dais pulled his hair harder.

"How could you believe there lies?" asked Dais.

"It's the truth, and you shall see for yourselves."

"Hate me if you wish, but you won't leave this place. It is not the armor that lives for you, it is you that lives for the armor and for me," explained Talpa.

"We are all part of his darkness," said Anubis. "Your armor is the same as mine."

"You lie," Cale said, pulling his arm as if to rip it off.

Sekhmet pulled too. "Anubis, what has become of you?"

"Throw him into the dungeon!" yelled Talpa.

The Warlords disappeared with Anubis to carry out their master's wishes. Sekhmet and Dais reappeared a few moments later.

"Master Talpa," Dais started.

"What?" asked Talpa.

"The Ronin Warriors have gotten stronger. We feel their sting, and our battles are long and tiring," said Dais.

"We want the power Anubis got," said Sekhmet. "We'll do anything you ask of us, to gain this darker power."

"So, you want the power of darkness?" asked Talpa, then laughed. "Very well. Show me you are ready for the power of the darkness!"

"Yes, Master." Sekhmet and Dais disappeared.

 _I must get rid of the monk first,_ Talpa thought to himself.

* * *

The group had found an underground station and the Ronins were resting for their upcoming battle with the Dynasty. Mia sat on a bench and Yulie placed his head on her lap, closing his eyes to take a nap. Maria leaned against a wall, her arms crossed over her chest. She still couldn't wrap her head around what Anubis did for her.

"Look, what difference does it make if Anubis helps us or not?" Kento asked. "We can't attack Talpa standing around here."

"Kento, the more numbers we have on our side, it will be easier to take down Talpa," Rowen explained to Kento.

"He's right," agreed Cye.

"We can't have traitors fighting with us," said Kento. "What happens if they stab us in the back?"

"You better watch what you're saying, Kento," growled Maria. "I'm not liking the tone you're giving out."

"Why should we care what you think?" Kento asked.

"In case you haven't realized, I have been in Talpa's castle. You have an advantage on your side for I know Talpa's castle inside and out. I can give you information about the Dynasty and what to look for."

"How do we know you won't betray us once we get in there?" Sage asked, still unsure of Maria.

"I promise I won't betray you. But if you want to be certain, I can stay here while you five go to the Dynasty. I will tell you all I know and then you can leave. I'll be gone by the time you come back and you won't see me again."

"Where will you go?" Mia asked her.

"Somewhere faraway I hope," muttered Kento.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Maria exclaimed. "Yes, I helped Talpa but now I'm helping you. I'm the only one who can get you the information you need."

"We were doing fine without you so why don't you just leave now."

"Enough, Kento," ordered Ryo.

"Why are you getting mad at Maria?" Cye asked. "I know she wronged us but we have to get over it."

"How can you get over the fact that she was basically giving away information to the enemy?!"

"I didn't know at the time, ok?! I was scared and alone and I didn't know what to do."

"Didn't your parents tell you never talk to strangers?"

"Yes, but-"

"So then why did you listen to Talpa? Did he bribe you with something?"

"No, I-"

"Then why did you join the Dynasty?"

"I had no one to turn to!"

"So I guess Talpa was better than your parents, huh? I can't believe you choose Talpa over your own parents."

"If you must know, my mother is dead and my own father beat me and tried to rape me!"

Silence filled the room as everyone stared at Maria with wide eyes. Maria stared at them, tears lining her eyes.

"What are you guys talking about?" Yulie slurred, sleep heavy in his voice as he rubbed his eyes.

"I have to go," Maria stated, walking towards the stairs.

Kento reached his hand out to her. "Maria, I-"

"Don't touch me." Maria growled and then stormed up the stairs. Once she was gone, Sage slapped Kento upside the head. "You need to learn to keep your mouth shut."

"I'll go talk to her," Ryo said, heading up the stairs. When he got on the surface, Ryo looked around, trying to find Maria. He felt something nudge his leg and looked down to see White Blaze staring at him. "Hey, boy. Do you know where Maria went?"

The tiger, seeming to understand him, nodded and started walking towards a group of buildings. Ryo followed closely behind as they went into a building. Ryo had to watch his step as he maneuvered his way through the clutter. He heard sniffling and saw Maria sitting in a corner, her head in her hands. Ryo walked over to her and sat down beside her, placing an arm around her shoulders. Maria flinched at the contact, glancing up to see Ryo staring at her. "What do you want?" Maria asked, wiping her eyes.

"I want to check on you," Ryo answered. "You just admitted a huge secret that you had bottled up inside."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working." Maria pushed Ryo away from her. "Just go away."

"Maria, talk to me."

"No, I don't want to talk to you. Now leave me alone."

Ryo brought Maria into his arms and held her. Maria's eyes widen as Ryo clutched her to his chest. "Don't shut me out, Maria," said Ryo.

Tears filled Maria's eyes as she buried her face in Ryo's chest, her sobs muffled by his chest. Ryo stroked her hair as he continued to hold the trembling girl in his arms.

"He blamed me," Maria sobbed. "My father blamed me for my mother's death. He started abusing me soon after and kept telling me that my mother would still be alive if it wasn't for me. He tried to rape me when I was sixteen but that's when I discovered my telekinesis and used it to get away from him." More sobs racked Maria's body. "This is all my fault."

"No it's not. None of this is your fault." Ryo cupped Maria's face in his hands, wiping away the tears.

"I'm so sorry," Maria whispered.

"It's ok," Ryo reassured then placed a kiss on her forehead. He rested his head upon hers as he continued to hold Maria, soothing the trembling girl.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling could be heard, snapping the attention of the two. White Blaze growled as he ran out of the building. "White Blaze!" Ryo called. He helped Maria up and the two ran out as well.

"Ryo!" Sage called, running out from the underground station with the others. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," answered Ryo.

"Look!" Yulie exclaimed, pointing to a blue light leading towards the Dynasty. Everyone stared at the light, wondering where it came from, when they heard a mournful cry. Ryo looked down to see White Blaze standing not that far from them, staring at the light.

"White Blaze, what is it?" Ryo asked. Suddenly, it all clicked as Ryo looked back at the light, understanding what had happened. Everyone else also realized what had happened for the Ancient One had sacrificed himself to make a portal to the Dynasty.


	11. Chapter 10

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 10

The group stared at the pillar in front of them, still trying to get over the fact of the Ancient's death.

"I can't believe the Ancient is really dead," commented Kento.

"Yeah, I know," agreed Cye.

"But he had faith in us," Ryo said. "It was his guidance that lead us to where we are now."

"Yeah, and now we will show Talpa our real strength and defeat him," stated Sage.

"Let's go, we can't waste the Ancient One's death," Rowen said, looking at the others. They all nodded and turned towards the pillar.

"You guys beat Talpa," encouraged Yulie.

"Don't worry, Yulie, we'll be back," reassured Ryo. "And we'll bring back everyone that was captured by Talpa, even your parents."

Yulie smiled then nodded.

"We'll be waiting," said Mia. "And you take care of each other."

"White Blaze, stay here with Mia, Yulie, and Maria," Ryo ordered the tiger.

"Ryo," Maria started, grabbing Ryo's arm. Ryo turned towards her, staring into her eyes. Maria opened her mouth to tell Ryo what she felt for him but decided that it wasn't the right time. "Be prepared for an ambush. Talpa doesn't want you to get into the castle nor does he want you to get to the top of the castle. That's where Talpa is."

Ryo nodded. "Thanks. Will you still be here when I get back?"

"If you want me to be here, then I will be."

Ryo grabbed Maria's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Wait for me, ok?"

"Ok."

"See you soon." Ryo released Maria's hand and then he jumped into the portal with the other Ronins. Maria watched them go, clutching her hand to her chest. Now more than ever did Maria fell more in love with a man.

* * *

The Ronins arrived in the courtyard of the castle, staring at the building in front of them.

"There's no turning back," stated Rowen.

"Remember what Maria said?" Cye asked. "About the ambush?"

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Sage.

"Look to the left." They did and there was an army of soldiers standing there, weapons ready.

"Well, what do you know," mumbled Kento.

The soldiers charged at the Ronins and the guys prepared to fight. Ryo leaped in the air and kicked a soldier in the face. Sage dodged the weapons aimed for him and was able to steal a weapon from the army. He threw a spear into the army, hoping the spear would take down some of the soldiers. Cye was dodging attacks left from right and barely managed to avoid an arrow aimed for his head. Kento was taking down soldiers like a madman. He grabbed a soldier, lifted him up, and threw him into other soldiers. Rowen did a flying kick and caught a soldier off guard. He then wisely avoided two more coming at him. The Ronins kept on fighting but no matter how many soldiers they take down, more came to take their place.

"There's no end to these tin cans," Kento muttered.

"Then let's transform and do some damage," said Sage.

"All right," said Ryo. "Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!"

"Armor of Halo! Dai Chi!"

"Armor of Strata! Dao Inochi!"

"Armor of Torrent! Dao Shin!"

"Armor of Hardrock! Dao Gi!"

Rivers of cherry blossoms surrounded the guys and after it faded, the guys had transformed into their full armors. Rowen took an arrow out his bow and placed the arrow in it. The arrow started to gather energy while Rowen pointed it at the herd of soldiers. "Arrow Shock Wave!" Rowen released the arrow and the arrow flew towards the army, turning into a comet. The arrow pierced the ground, destroying most of the army.

* * *

Deep within the castle, Sekhmet, Dais, and Cale cried out in pain as the neither spirits filled their bodies with darkness. Never had the Warlords experienced something like this and they were trying to bear the pain.

Talpa suddenly appeared before the group. "Sekhmet, Dais, Cale."

"Master Talpa," greeted Dais.

"The Ronin Warriors are at the gates."

"Let us destroy them with our new power," Sekhmet said.

"Yes, let us fight," agreed Cale.

"All right, it is done. Neither Spirits, finish the job!"

The spirits' eyes flashed red with understanding and they released their power onto the Warlords.

* * *

Most of the army had been demolished and the Ronins had made their way inside the castle. More soldiers tried to stop their pursuit but they were either shot or cut down by the Ronins.

"These guys aren't that hard to take down," Sage observed, cutting down another soldier.

"Yeah, it's almost like they are nothing," agreed Rowen.

"Could this be a trap?" asked Cye.

"How observant, Cye of the Torrent." The Ronins looked up to see Talpa before them.

"Talpa, come down and face us!" yelled Kento.

"In time, Ronin Warriors. But first, I welcome you to my castle with a little gift." Talpa disappeared and the Dark Warlords appeared in front of the castle.

"Dark Warlords," murmured Ryo.

"Ronin Warriors, you have made a grave effort in coming here," said Sekhmet.

"Let's give them a taste of our true power," suggested Cale, taking out his nodaci.

"What true power?" Kento asked. "The last few times we've fought you, we've kicked your ass. We've done it before and we can do it again."

"Don't underestimate us, Kento of Hardrock," stated Dais. "We are stronger now. Web of Deception!" Dais sent his sure kill towards the Ronins but this attack had more power behind it than the other times. The attack struck the group full force, sending them flying back into the walls.

* * *

Down in the city, Maria snapped her head up towards the sky. She could feel that something wasn't right but didn't know what it was. It hasn't been that long since the Ronin Warriors went to fight Talpa but Maria couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her suspicious were confirmed when White Blaze roared, looking at the sky. Apparently he could sense that something was wrong as well.

"The guys, they're in trouble!" yelled Yulie. "We got to do something."

"We can't; we'll only get in their way," Mia said.

Maria stared at them and then looked back at the sky. _All this time, I've used my ability to help Talpa,_ Maria thought, glancing at her hands. _But now, I'll use it to help my friends._ She clenched her hands into fists, glaring at the sky and then started running towards the pillar.

"Maria, wait!" called Mia but Maria had already jumped into the pillar and was heading up to the castle. Anger surged through her as the pain she felt for the past eight years came to her. All the lies, the betrayal, the pain, it all came to her.

Maria found herself on the courtyard of the castle, staring at the open gates. She glanced to the side to see Cye lying on the ground. "Cye!" Maria exclaimed, running over to him. She knelt down, shaking him slightly. Cye groaned, opening his eyes and they widened when he saw Maria. "Are you all right?"

"Maria, what are you doing here?" Cye asked, getting up.

"Where are the others?"

"Over there." Cye glanced to the right and Maria followed his gaze to see the other guys slowly getting up.

"What happened?" asked Maria.

"The Warlords got stronger somehow and all three of them had us beaten within a few minutes."

Maria's body trembled with more anger, looking up to see the Warlords standing there.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Cale asked, taking a step over to her. "The little traitor is back."

"Have you come to pledge your loyalty back to Master Talpa?" asked Sekhmet. He took out one of his katanas. "Well, it's too late." Sekhmet charged at her and Cye tried to push Maria behind him.

"No!" Maria yelled, raising her hand. All three Warlords froze in their place, not moving.

"What is this?" Dais asked, shaking lightly in his frozen stance.

"Do you know what happens when you push someone too far?" Maria growled, her hair blowing in the breeze. The ground started trembling below her as the rocks levitated up and hovered around her. "This is what happens when you push me too far. Now, go tell that asshole, Talpa, that he will die!" Maria let out a scream of anger as boulders lifted up from the ground and headed towards the Warlords which hit them and sent them flying into the castle. Pieces of the walls of the castle fell in the whole that Maria created.

Maria stood where she was, breathing heavily from the amount of power that she dissed out.

"Wow, that was something else," commented Kento, nodding his head in approval. "Thanks for the save, Maria."

Maria smiled slightly at him. "You're welcome."

"What are you doing here?" Ryo asked. "Do you know how dangerous it is here?"

"Ryo, I've been here for the past two years. I think I know what I'm doing. Now listen, I need to do something first so I'm not going with you. Talpa is at the top of castle but don't go there; he'll be expecting you to. Instead, lure him out. He's not strong to fight you and he would rather fight you in the throne room instead of in the courtyard for you'll have more space to fight him in and you'll have the advantage."

"Where are you going?" Rowen asked.

"I have to go save a friend." Maria turned around but Ryo grabbed her arm. "Maria-"

"Ryo, I have to do this. Anubis saved me and now I have to save him." Maria gave him a small smile. "You can do this; I believe in you."

"Be careful."

"You too." Ryo released her arm and Maria ran off into the castle.

"What do we do?" Sage asked his leader.

"We go after Talpa."


	12. Chapter 11

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Maria ran through the castle, trying to find the dungeon. She knew that's where Anubis would be and she was hoping that he was ok. Maria got to the dungeon and checked all the cells but Anubis wasn't in any of them. She tried to think where Talpa would have sent him but she couldn't think where. Maria thought Anubis would be in the dungeon but she was wrong. "Anubis!" Maria called. "Anubis, where are you?!"

"Maria?" A soft voice was heard. Maria turned around, trying to find the person but saw a light at the end of the dungeon. She slowly walked over to it and there, she saw a pit of orange liquid with neither spirits floating around. There, in the center of the pit, was Anubis. Maria counted the number of spirits in the room and then looked around her, trying to find a weapon. She saw a pile of sharp rocks resting by her. _That'll do,_ Maria thought, turning her attention back to the room. She focused on the neither spirits and the rocks slowly levitated in the air. Maria twitched her hand and the rocks flew at the spirits, destroying them.

Anubis saw the neither spirits being destroyed around, unsure of what was going on. "Anubis!" He turned around to see Maria standing at the edge of the pit, a smile on her face.

"Maria?" Anubis made his way over to Maria and got out of the pit. He was surprised even further when Maria pulled him into a hug. "You're ok," Maria muttered, almost like reassuring herself. Anubis patted her head, unsure of what to do. "Come on, let's go."

"Wait, but how-"

"No time for that. The Ronin Warriors need our help." Maria pulled Anubis behind her as they ran out of the dungeon.

* * *

Talpa was in his throne room, watching the fight between the Warlords and the Ronin Warriors. Before the Ronins could get to Talpa, the Warlords got back up and started attacking the Ronins. However, he noticed that the Ronins were overpowering the Warlords and that he would have to go in and finish this fight himself.

"Dark Warlords," called Talpa.

The Warlords stopped and turned to the castle. "What is it, my Lord?" asked Cale.

"Give me your armor."

"My armor? Why?" Sekhmet asked.

"I will be the one to finish this fight."

"Show us your true strength, Master," said Dais.

"Very well, it is done." Talpa's eyes glowed blue. "Mystical armor, return to me!"

The armors of the Warlords were then absorbed into Talpa. Talpa then appeared before the Ronins, with part of his armor. The Ronins readied their weapons, waiting for Talpa to make the first move. Talpa started towards them but suddenly froze. He was then thrown back into the walls of the castle. The Ronins were confused by this until they turned around and saw Maria with Anubis.

"Anubis?" Rowen asked, surprise on his face.

"Don't worry, he's on our side," reassured Maria.

"Anubis, how dare you defy me!" Talpa said, getting up and then turned his attention to Maria. "And I will not let you get in my way!" Talpa's eyes glowed red and a sphere formed around Maria, trapping her inside. Maria tried to get out of the sphere but it wouldn't budge.

Ryo turned to Talpa and glared at him. "Release her!"

"The sphere will only disappear if I allow it or if you defeat me."

Ryo took out his twin katanas and put them together. He jumped in the, air twirling his swords as they gathered energy. "Flare Up Now!" Ryo released his sure-kill and it headed towards Talpa. The attack struck Talpa straight on and the Ronins thought it was over, until they saw Talpa still standing there. Talpa laughed at the Ronin's weak attempt before taking out his sword and charging at the Ronins.

Maria watched with utter helplessness as the Ronins and Anubis tried to fight off Talpa. Even though the Ronins and Anubis were giving it their all, Talpa still swatted them away like flies. It wasn't long before the group grew tired and Talpa started to absorb them one by one. The first one to get absorbed was Cye, followed by Rowen.

Kento stared at Talpa, his body shaking with rage. "He's going to pay," said Kento. "He's going to pay for what he did to my friends." Kento raised his naginata and aimed it at Talpa. "Iron Rock Crusher!" He spun his weapon then pointed it at Talpa. The ground split open and rocks headed towards Talpa. Talpa deflected the attack, sending it straight back at Kento. The attack hit Kento and Kento screamed in pain, collapsing to the ground.

"Kento!" yelled Ryo and Sage

"I can't go on," Kento said, before he was absorbed by Talpa.

Anubis turned to Ryo and Sage. "Let's try to combine our armor powers to take down Talpa."

The two nodded and they turned to Talpa. Sage took out his nodachi and raised it above his head. The sword started to glow as power filled it. "Thunder Bolt Cut!" Sage swiped the sword across his chest and the sure-kill headed towards Talpa. Ryo jumped in the air, combining his katanas and twirling them. "Flare Up Now!" Ryo released the sure-kill and it combined with Sage's sure-kill. Anubis twirled his chain and then jumped up in the air. "Quake with Fear!" The attacks headed towards Talpa and Talpa took out his sword. He raised his sword and the attacks struck the sword, while the chains wrapped around the sword. Talpa moved his sword down, sending the attacks back at the Ronins. Ryo and Sage screamed in pain as the attacks struck them, forcing them back. Sage flew into wall while Ryo landed near the sphere Maria was trapped in. Talpa pulled his sword back which made Anubis get pulled with him. He then absorbed Anubis and then Sage before turning to Ryo. Ryo slowly got up and saw Talpa walking towards him. He turned to Maria and gave her a small smile. Talpa walked up to the two and pointed his sword at Ryo. Blue light shot out and wrapped around Ryo; he was then absorbed into Talpa.

"NO!" Maria cried, sinking to her knees. She placed her head in her hands and started to cry, not noticing that the sphere she was trapped in disappeared. Maria looked up at Talpa, glaring at him. "You monster!" Talpa smacked Maria across the face and Maria fell to the ground. Talpa pressed his armored foot on top of Maria's back and pressed down. Maria screamed in pain as she wiggled to get free. She then felt something cut her skin and looked up to see Talpa holding a whip. Maria did her best to curl into a ball and cover her face. Talpa continued to beat Maria but he suddenly stopped. He could feel the Ronins getting angry and an idea formed in his head. Talpa looked down at the trembling Maria and raised his sword. He then thrusted the sword down, cutting into Maria's back and pointed out of her stomach. Talpa thought the Ronins would stop after this attempt but the exact opposite happened.

Maria couldn't believe what had just happened. She looked down and stared at the sword pointing out of her stomach. Maria felt Talpa pull the sword out and watched as a pool of blood formed around her. She could hear Talpa screaming in the background but thought nothing of it. Maria then felt someone lifting her up and Maria weakly looked up; an angel clad in white stared down at her. She could see the angel talking to her but Maria couldn't tell what the angel was saying. Maria looked behind the angel and saw a figure smiling at her. The figure had long black hair, green eyes, and her arms were held out, welcoming Maria into their arms.

"Mom?" Maria asked, before she closed her eyes and darkness consumed her.


	13. Chapter 12

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 12

After Ryo was absorbed into Talpa's armor, Ryo found himself surrounded by his friends. He saw that his friends were fast asleep and Ryo started to fall asleep as well when a scream pierced the air. Ryo snapped to attention as the screams continued. The others started to stir as well when they heard the screams.

An image then appeared and Ryo saw Talpa whipping Maria while holding her down with his foot. Ryo's anger rose as the others woke up. They saw what was going on and they, too, got angry.

Talpa suddenly stopped but only to jam a sword straight through Maria. Ryo screamed in anger as Talpa pulled the sword out of Maria and a pool of blood started to form around her. The Ronins' anger rose to unbelievable heights; not noticing the power surging through each of their armors.

Suddenly, the Ronins were able to escape their prison and got out of Talpa. The armor powers of Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen flew towards Ryo. Ryo felt intense heat surround him and, once the fire vanished, Ryo was wearing a white armor.

"Impossible!" Talpa screamed.

Ryo ran over to Maria and held her in his arms. Maria looked up and stared at Ryo. "Hold on, Maria," pleaded Ryo. "You're going to be ok; we'll fix you up. Keep fighting." Maria kept on staring at Ryo then looked past him. She then said something that almost made Ryo's heart stop. "Mom?" Maria closed her eyes and she went limp in Ryo's arms. Ryo felt for a pulse but didn't feel anything. Tears appeared in Ryo's eyes as he held Maria closer to him. "You'll pay," Ryo said, looking at Talpa with tears running down his face. "Talpa, you'll pay for what you did."

"Oh really?" Talpa asked, raising his sword. "You will perish and your armors will belong to me!" Talpa charged at Ryo and brought the sword on top of him.

Ryo held up his katanas and blocked Talpa's attack. He pushed the sword up, forcing Talpa back a little. Ryo jumped into the air and power started to fill Ryo's swords. "Rage of Inferno!" Ryo brought his swords down on Talpa and intense fire hit Talpa. Talpa screamed as the fire destroyed him and the rest of the Dynasty. When the fire disappeared, the Ronins reverted back to their sub-armors. Ryo started to feel dizzy as he started to fall and the last thing he heard was his friends calling out to him.

* * *

 _Ryo wandered through the darkness, trying to figure out where he was. He had no idea where he was going nor how he got there. Suddenly, a bright light flashed before him and an image of Maria appeared clad in white._

 _"Maria?"_

 _"I don't have much time, Ryo," started Maria. "So please just listen to what I have to say." Ryo nodded as Maria went on. "I wanted to thank you for helping me these past few weeks. I know we didn't get to spend as much time together but I felt like I had a connection with you than I did with the others." Maria walked up to him, standing a foot away from him. "Ryo, there is something I need to tell you. Something I should have said before you went to fight Talpa but I didn't think it was the right time."_

 _"What is it?" Ryo asked._

 _"I…I…" Maria tried to find her voice but she was too nervous. "Screw it," Maria muttered, pulling Ryo close to her and kissing him on the lips. Before Ryo could process any of it, Maria pulled away, a sad smile on her lips. "I love you, Ryo, and I will always watch over you." Maria faded away and Ryo tried to grab hold of her._

 _"Maria, wait!"_

 _"Goodbye, Ryo."_

* * *

Ryo sat up in his bed, putting a hand to his forehead. He breathed heavily as he tried to keep the tears at bay. Only a few days have passed since Talpa and his Dynasty had been destroyed and the city was returned to normal but the death of his friend still plagued Ryo's mind. It was the first dream Ryo actually saw Maria appear to him. He could still feel her lips on his as he got up from his bed. Ryo noticed a single rose in a vase on the window sill and an idea came to him. He grabbed the rose and walked onto the balcony outside his room. He crushed the rose in his hand, grinding it into petals. Lifting his hand into the air, the wind picked up the rose petals and scattered them across the land. _This is for you, Maria,_ Ryo thought, watching the petals flying in the wind. _At least you are with your mother now._ Ryo walked back into his room, closing the doors behind him.

* * *

Up in the sky, the ruins of the Dynasty laid waste to the area. A neither spirit floated among the destroyed armor, hovering over it. He started chanting and then his eyes glowed white as the armor started to come together, piece by piece, until it was completed. Smiling at his work, the spirit bowed before the armor. "Welcome back, Master Talpa."

* * *

 **That is the end of this book! The next book will be out soon, I hope, so stay tuned to find out what happens and what allies the Ronin Warriors will encounter next. Thanks for reading! :)**


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